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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27403654">Indelible</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nora_Wolfe/pseuds/Nora_Wolfe'>Nora_Wolfe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Prompt Fic, Romance, Soft Kylo Ren, Tattoos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:41:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,232</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27403654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nora_Wolfe/pseuds/Nora_Wolfe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Rey has been Kylo's apprentice at his tattoo parlour for some time now. They practice their skills and new designs on each other, their art covering almost every inch of bare skin. What they both don't know is that their tattoos are love notes to each other."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>146</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Ijustfellintothissendhelp, Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Indelible</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm filling in my own prompt here, but whatever. 🤣<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/I_Am_Nora_Wolfe/status/1323355453200498690?s=09">Prompt here</a></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Early Monday morning is Kylo's favourite part of the week. The studio is usually empty, and he gets a couple of hours to himself; most of the time is spent sketching new ideas out, and the constant soft <em>scritch</em> of pencil against paper is soothing.</p><p> </p><p>And of course, there is Rey.</p><p> </p><p>Rey had just joined their little group of artists as an apprentice a little over two years ago, and was now fully-trained in the art of putting needle to skin. She'd chosen to stay with <em>Chandrila Ink</em>, a fact that Kylo is grateful for, since it allows him to bask in the warmth of her presence for however long she wants to work with them.</p><p> </p><p>"Morning!" Rey sings as she bursts through the front door of the studio. She's carrying two cups of coffee as usual, as they are the only employees who would even countenance waking up this early in the morning, when <em>Chandrila Ink</em> won't even be open until noon.</p><p> </p><p>He smiles at her, watching the way she haphazardly throws her denim jacket in a corner, and then hooks a chair with her foot to bring it closer to the table in the centre of the main open space of the studio. She's always in motion, like a hummingbird, and he never tires of looking at her dip and weave through any room she's in. </p><p> </p><p>"How was your weekend?" she asks as she slides his cup over. Kylo thinks he mumbles something that sounds like "fine, and yours?", but he isn't sure if it was audible, as her fingers are brushing against his. It's only a fleeting touch, but he hoards the lingering trace of it like a jealous dragon guarding its treasure. Like all the other times she's touched him, he wants more, much more, but he's afraid that Rey would run away if she were to understand the depth of his feelings for her. He's kept two years' worth of longing and unrequited love tucked beneath his heart, he can probably hold on a little longer, he figures.</p><p> </p><p>So he continues sketching while sneaking glances at her, as she blithely continues chatting. She knows he's not a talkative person by nature.</p><p> </p><p>"I think I spent too much time trying to get the details of my Nexu monster up until early Sunday morning, and later watched reruns of 'Sons of Anarchy' before passing out on the couch. Not productive at all." She wrinkles her nose as she speaks, and Kylo thinks that he might do a little doodle of her bemused expression later, when he's not distracted by her nearness. There are already several similar portraits of her in his sketchbook, hastily drawn before the images fade from his mind.</p><p> </p><p>He's mentally choosing the best angle for the autumn light to showcase her features, when she pokes his bicep. "Hey, let me look at your chest," Rey cajoles. "I want to see how the latest one is healing."</p><p> </p><p>Kylo pretends to sigh as he lifts his henley shirt up, baring his torso. He'd offered to be her canvas for practice just before she graduated from apprentice to artist about a year ago, and she'd eagerly accepted, making the same offer in return. Now, both of them have a few tattoos inked by the other, each one carefully rendered in their favoured styles.</p><p> </p><p>Rey had chosen to specialize in Asian-inspired designs, while Kylo loves working on vibrant washes in the watercolour format. He often selects florals for Rey's tattoos, once remarking that someone who'd grown up in the desert of Jakku deserved to carry a little piece of greenery around with them everywhere. She'd given him a tremulous smile, and then gazed down at the red camellia he was inking onto her lower arm for the rest of the session.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, it's looking good so far," she breathes, staring at the dragon and phoenix coiled together on his left pectoral, their tails curling towards his shoulder. "I was worried that I had been a little too heavy-handed on the scales." She bites her lip as she continues looking at his bared chest, seemingly deep in thought.</p><p> </p><p>"No, it's great," Kylo quickly adds, the tips of his ears flushing from her perusal. "I like how you incorporated red chrysanthemum petals into the design. Very Japanese." He doesn't tell her that the blooms signify "I love you" in the Victorian language of flowers. He wants to continue pretending to himself that she returns his feelings; he doesn't need to shatter the illusion by having her find out that he's been encoding his thoughts about her into the flowers he inscribes onto her skin.</p><p> </p><p>The calla lily on her right wrist ("magnificent beauty").</p><p> </p><p>The four-leaf clover twined around an ankle ("be mine").</p><p> </p><p>The spray of peach blossoms across her left shoulder ("I am your captive").</p><p> </p><p>And of course, the red camellia ("you're a flame in my heart").</p><p> </p><p>Kylo thinks that even if every inch of her body were already covered by tattoos, he would continue drawing flowers for Rey, just to make her smile. After all, looking at her art on his skin elicits his own smiles, and anyone who knows or works with him has never described him as jovial.</p><p> </p><p>"Uh, are you done?" he ventures. "It's getting a little chilly in here." </p><p> </p><p>She laughs, no, giggles at his sheepish expression. Another memory to keep, and taken out to be savoured in the night before he falls asleep dreaming of her, he thinks.</p><p> </p><p>"Kylo Ren, big man afraid of a little cold?" she teases. Her hand is reaching out for his, and he takes it without thinking. Her palm is warm and calloused, and he marvels at how small and delicate her hand looks next to his own giant paw. She's drawing closer towards him, her eyes trained on his face, and he can smell the scent of her shampoo, something light and citrusy.</p><p> </p><p>"Wanna know what else I did this weekend?" Rey whispers to him, in an almost-conspiratorial tone. "I found this <em>fascinating</em> book on flowers, since you keep choosing them for my ink. And I looked up a few."</p><p> </p><p>He almost stops breathing. She's now so close that he can see every faint freckle on her beloved face, and he can't think anymore.</p><p> </p><p>"Do you know what the dragon and phoenix signify in Chinese mythology?" she spreads her fingers over his chest, gently touching him as if he were something precious. "They're the embodiment of yin and yang, and couples often use them to symbolize love and happiness in a relationship. A dyad, in a way, as one is usually pictured with the other." </p><p> </p><p>Kylo doesn't remember how it happened, but his arms are wrapped around Rey now, pulling her onto his lap. Her eyes are sparkling with unshed tears, and he wants to kiss them away. </p><p> </p><p>And he does his best, peppering sweet little kisses all over her face, until she laughs again and gently places a hand against his cheek. </p><p> </p><p>"Since when?" she asks softly, snuggling deeper within his embrace. </p><p> </p><p>"When you first called me a monster for making you re-do your sketches during your apprenticeship," he smiles at the memory.</p><p> </p><p>"You're still a monster," she says fondly. "But you're <em>my</em> monster." Her lips find his, and soon, they're absorbed in their own little world, surrounded by the art that brought them together.</p><p> </p><p>Kylo loves Monday mornings.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please feel free to say hi on <a href="http://twitter.com/i_am_nora_wolfe">Twitter</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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